A blog on the current crises in the Middle East and news accounts unpublished by the US press. Daily timeline of events in Iraq as collected from stories and dispatches in the French and Italian media: Le Monde (Paris), Il Corriere della Sera (Milan), La Repubblica (Rome), L'Orient-Le Jour (Beirut) and occasionally from El Mundo (Madrid).

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

3 August 2004 Events in Iraq

21.09 Ar Ramādi. MORTARS FIRED AT US BASE. The US base in Ramadi has been hit by mortar fire.

18.45 Riyadh. IRISHMAN KILLED IN SAUDI ARABIA. An Irish national has been killed in his office in Riyadh by unknown gunmen.

15.54 Amman. JORDAN, SNAG IN NEGOTIATIONS TO RELEASE 9 HOSTAGES. Jordianian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher has indicated that there is a snag in negotiations for the release of nine hostages in Iraq but still hopes for a positive outcome.

15.48 Karachi. PAKISTAN WILL NOT SEND TROOPS TO IRAQ. Pakistan will not send troops to Iraq. After weeks of vague and contradictory statements, Pakistani Information Minister Rashid Ahmed declares his country will not send troops to Iraq.

13.50 Baghdad. BOMBING, TWO MARINES AND AN IRAQI COLONEL KILLED. Two US Marines and an Iraqi colonel were killed in a bombing a few hours after Premier Iyad Allawi returned to the capital.

13.46 Ar Ramādi. TWO MARINES KILLED IN AL ANBAR PROVINCE. Two Marines were killed in their aircraft in Anbar Province.

13.44 Baghdad. THREE IRAQI SOLDIERS KILLED IN CARBOMBING. Three Iraqi National Guardsmen were killed in a bombing near Baghdad and four others were wounded.

12.55 Amman. JORDANIAN KIDNAPPED BY GUERRILLAS. A seventh Jordanian national was kidnapped Sunday in Iraq says Jordanian Foreign Minister Ali Ayed. The name of the hostage is Adel Oubeidallah, a businessman from the town of Ramtha.

12.28 Ft. Bragg. HEARING FOR LYNNDYE ENGLAND. Hearing will take place at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, The court is to decide if England will be judged in a military court.

12.04 Copenhagen. DANISH SOLDIERS ACCUSED OF MISTREATMENT OF PRISONERS. Danish soldiers are suspected of abusing Iraqi prisoners. One of the accused is a commissioned officer.

11.15 An Najaf. AL SADR SPOKESMAN: "HARSH AND PROVOCATORY ACT". A spokesman for Moqtada Sadr condemns the seige of Sadr's residence yesterday as a "harsh and provocatory measure". "It is a harsh and provocatory act which aims to plunge the holy city of Najaf into chaos and danger.", says Sheik Ahmed al Shaibani.

10.53 Baghdad. TWO US TROOPS KILLED IN BAGHDAD. Two US troops were killed in a Baghdad street while on night patrol.

08.24 Baghdad. KILLED OFFICIAL WAS COL MOYAD BASHAR AL SHAMARI. The high-ranking Iraqi police official killed this morning in Baghdad was Col. Moyad Bashar al-Shamari. Col al-Shamari died after having been admitted at a hospital at 7:40 local time.

08.15 Baghdad. HIGH-RANKING POLICE OFFICIAL KILLED. A high-ranking police official was killed in Bagdad and two policeman wounded as their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.

07.10 Ar Ramādi. MARINE KILLED IN COMBAT IN AL ANBAR. A US Marine was killed in Al Anbar Province. 680 US troops have been killed in action in Iraq since the invasion.